african american genealogy the beginning steps march 2017...ocomplete and update pedigree charts and...

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AFRICANAMERICANGENEALOGY:              THE BEGINNING STEPS

Presented by: 

Tamika Strong

Genealogist and Librarian

Griffin‐Spalding County Library

March 18, 2017

WORKSHIP OBJECTIVES

• To assist attendees in learning the first steps in 

tracing their genealogy and documenting their 

family history.

• To provide attendees an overview of some 

challenges that African American researchers face 

in researching their family history.

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Questions for you

Do you have a library card?

Do you know about PINES?

Do you know about GALILEO?

Did you know that you can access a version of Ancestry for free?

STEP #1A: PREPARE FORTHE JOURNEY

Do not apply a 21st century mindset to a 19th or 

20th century situation.  Try to keep things in 

their historical context.

Be prepared for the Good, the Bad, the Ugly, 

and the Unbelievable.  

Accept History for what it is.

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STEP #1A: PREPARE FORTHE JOURNEY

• Be understanding and respectful of the feelings of 

others.

Be discerning in the sharing of information.

Some of the things you will learn may be hard to 

take, so don’t be afraid to set it aside for a while 

until you’re ready to pick it up again.

STEP #1B – SET AGOAL

KNOWWHEREYOUWANTTO GO.

oDetermine what you want to learn about your family.

oEstablish a long term and a short term goal.

oWrite them down the goals. Post them in your workspace.

oTry to stay focus on them.

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Research Goals

oShort Term

oExample:  Find census records for 

maternal grandmother.

oLong Term

oExample:  Trace maternal family 

line to 1870.

STEP #2: GETTING STARTED

WRITE DOWNWHATYOU KNOW

oWrite down everything you know.

oNames including nicknames, aliases, etc.

oDates – Birth, Marriage, Divorce, Death

oPlaces where the family lived

oSchools attended, places worked, places where 

family were buried, etc.

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Conduct the 

Self Interview

STEP #2: Getting Started

Write Down what you know

oUse Forms to organize information about 

family.

oPedigree Charts 

oFamily Group Sheet(s)

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PEDIGREE CHART

• Captures your direct ancestors, parents, 

grandparents, great‐grandparents, great‐great‐

grandparents, etc.

• You are #1 on the chart.

• Your father’s line starts with #2.

• Your mother’s line starts with #3.

PEDIGREE CHART cont.

oMen are even numbers – 2, 4, 6, etc.

oWomen are odd numbers – 3, 5, 7, etc.

oWomen are placed on the chart under the 

maiden name.   If unknown then leave blank.

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Your Turn

Fill out Your Pedigree 

Chart

FAMILY GROUP SHEETS

oCaptures the family units – parents and 

children.

oCreate a Family Group Sheet for every couple 

or mother‐father pair.

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Your Turn

Fill out Your Family 

Group Sheet

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STEP #3A:FAMILY RESOURCES

COLLECT FAMILY ARTIFACTS

Divorce Decrees

Funeral Programs

Obituaries (From Newspapers 

or Funeral Programs)

Death Certificates

Cemetery/Burial Information

Newspaper Clippings

Family Stories /   Oral 

History

Family Bibles

Family Trees / Genealogies

Family Papers

Birth Certificates 

Marriage Certificates or 

Licenses 

STEP #3A:FAMILY RESOURCES

COLLECT FAMILY ARTIFACTS

School Records

Business Records

Awards / Certificates

Old Personal Phone Books

Citizenship Records

Court Records

Pictures

Wills

Military Records

Land Deeds

Yearbooks

Organization 

Memberships

Church Information

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STEP #3A:FAMILY RESOURCES

COLLECT FAMILY ARTIFACTS

oLook for Genealogy in “Strange” places.

oTattoos

STEP #3A:FAMILY RESOURCES

COLLECT FAMILY ARTIFACTS

oLook for Genealogy in “Strange” places.

oMemorial T‐Shirts

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STEP #3A:FAMILY RESOURCES

COLLECT FAMILY ARTIFACTS

• Look for Genealogy in “Strange” places.

• Memorial Car Vinyls

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STEP #3B:FAMILY RESOURCES

COLLECT FAMILY HISTORY

oDetermine if your family has a family historian or someone 

who knows a lot of your family’s history.  

oInterview relatives, especially the elders

oRecord the interview if possible, audio or video

oAsk to make copies of pictures, funeral programs, obituaries, 

etc.

oBe prepared ‐ some people may be unwilling to share 

information or materials.

Mock Interview

Family Traditions

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STEP #4:CENSUS RESEARCH

FINDYOUR FOLKS INTHE CENSUS

oCensus Records

oStart from the present and work backwards starting with yourself.

oHappens every tens years from 1790 

o1890 Census – lost to water damage due to a fire; some parts survived.

STEP #4:CENSUS RESEARCH

FINDYOUR FOLKS INTHE CENSUS

oCensus Records

oInformation recorded in the census varied from each census year.

oSpecial Schedules were included during certain 

census years, i.e. Slave Schedules in 1850 and 1860 

Census.

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STEP #4:CENSUS RESEARCH

FINDYOUR FOLKS INTHE CENSUS

oCensus Records

oThere are State and Federal Census Records. 

o For example, Alabama has a 1866 State Census.

o1870 Census – first time most African Americans were listed by name in the Federal Census.

o1880 Census – showed family relationships for the first time.

STEP #4:CENSUS RESEARCH

FINDYOUR FOLKS INTHE CENSUS

oCensus Records

o1900 Census – included birth month and date

o1940 Census 

oReleased April 2012

oFully indexed by August of 2012

oDenotes informant with an asterisk.

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STEP #4:CENSUS RESEARCH

FINDYOUR FOLKS INTHE CENSUS

oCensus Records

oAncestry.com $$

oAncestry Library Edition 

oOnly available for use inside of libraries and archives

oFamilysearch.org

oHeritageQuest

o Available through GALILEO; Can access from home

STEP #4:CENSUS RESEARCH

FINDYOUR FOLKS INTHE CENSUS

oLook at the individual’s birth date. That will determine which censuses the person should be included.

oExample: Maggie Bell Printup (1928 – 2000)

oShould be able to find her in the

o 1940 Census

o 1930 Census

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STEP #4:CENSUS RESEARCH

FINDYOUR FOLKS INTHE CENSUS

oExample: Maggie Bell Printup (1928 – 2000)

o1940 Census

STEP #4:CENSUS RESEARCH

FINDYOUR FOLKS INTHE CENSUS

oExample: Maggie Bell Printup (1928 – 2000)

o1930 Census

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Step #4:Census Research

Find Your Folks in the Census

oCensus Search Tips

oStart from the latest census and work backwards.

oUse multiple sites to search the census.

oAlways look at the original document, not just the 

transcription.

oRemember to look at the neighbors; sometimes they 

are family members.

oAges may not be accurate.

STEP #4:CENSUS RESEARCH

FINDYOUR FOLKS INTHE CENSUS

oCensus Search Tips (cont.)

oBe mindful of Nicknames or name abbreviations, i.e. Jno

– John, Maggie – Margaret; Mag – Maggie 

oBe creative with the spellings of names, i.e. 

Calloway/Callaway.  

o Use wildcards for searching –

oAsterisk (*) for multiple letters, i.e. Cal*

oQuestion mark (?) for a single letter, i.e. Call?way

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STEP #5: OTHER RESOURCES – RECORDTYPES

oCensus Records

oMilitary Records

oVital Records (Birth, 

Marriage, Divorce, Death)

oSchool Records

oYearbooks

oCity Directories

oCemeteries

oNewspapers

oCounty Histories

oTown Histories

oFuneral Programs

oLand and Property 

Records

oBusiness Records

oCourt Records

oProbate

African American 

Genealogy

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STEP #6: 

REMEMBER THETIME

oGain a general understanding of the history of African 

Americans during the time periods you are researching.

o 1619:  First Africans arrived at Jamestown

o 1619 – 1865:  A Time of Enslavement and Freedom

o 1865 – 1965: The Fight for Freedom and Civil Rights

o 1965 – present: The Fight Continues

oThis is a over simplification of the History of People of 

African Descent in America.

STEP #6: REMEMBERTHETIME

o Learn about the environment in which the ancestors lived.

o County & Town Histories

o Coverage in the Local Newspaper

o Print and online materials about African Americans in the 

geographic area.

o Remember!

o Try to keep the information you learn in its historical context.

o There is a possibility that a resource may not mention the 

presence of people of color, i.e. some county histories.

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STEP #7:LEARNTHE LINGO

oBiracial

oMixed

oQuadroon (1/4th Black)

oOctaroon (1/8th Black)

oPerson of Color

oAfro American

oBlack American

oAfrican American

oColored – C; Col; *

oAfrican

oSlave

oNegro

oNegress

oNigra

oN****r

oMulatto

oBlack

STEP #8: KNOWWHERETO LOOK

Get familiar with the historical African American neighborhoods, 

institutions, organizations, resources and accomplishments.

o Neighborhoods – historic and current.

o Institutions – Schools, Hospitals

o Individuals

o Churches

o Cemeteries

o Funeral Homes

o Organizations

o Businesses / Business District

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oB

oM

oNeg

oColored 

oC 

oCol

o*

Identify the clues in the resources.

• Terms and Abbreviations

STEP #8: KNOWWHERETO LOOK

STEP #8: Know Where to Look

Identify the clues in the resources.

oChanges to the Document

oClipped Edges 

o World War I Draft Card (Registration Cards A and B)

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Source:  “United States World War I Draft Records.” FamilySearchWiki. https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_World_War_I_Draft_Records. Link to Draft Card A ‐ http://c.ancestry.com/pdf/trees/charts/DraftCardA.pdf

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STEP #7: KNOWWHERETO LOOK

Find the section of the resources that contain information about African Americans.

oTable of Contents

oCheck Index

oLook for terminology used for African Americans, i.e. 

colored, black, negro, mulatto, slave, etc.

oBack of the Book

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STEP #7: KNOWWHERETO LOOK

Find the section of the resources that contain information about African Americans.

oColored Section 

oAJC Example of Colored Obits

oColored Book 

oMarriage and Tax Books

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Research Tips

o Select a single surname, individual, or family unit to focus on. 

o Set a research goal.

o Complete and update Pedigree Charts and Family Group Sheets to reflect new information.

o Create and keep a research log or journal to track your progress.

o Get organized and stay organized.

o Make copies, either paper or electronic, of the original documents so you will have a copy.

Research Tips cont.

oEvaluate and interpret the information you have collected.

oTake small steps…don’t overwhelm yourself. Genealogy is a lifelong hobby!

oGet organized and stay organized!!!!

oLearn as you go using webinars, classes, attending genealogy group meetings, etc.

oRemember to have fun!!!

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HAVE FUN!!!!!

Source:  http://www.roadkilltshirts.com/Assets/ProductImages/PS_1081_SHOOK_TREE.jpg

PRESENTER INFORMATION

Tamika Maddox Strong

Librarian, Genealogist, Future Archivist

gagenealogy2011@gmail.com